“Change nothing and nothing changes.” Unknown
Stiles was pleasantly surprised that Khalil and Xavier both agreed to meet up with him. Khalil suggested that Stiles meet him and his baby brother for breakfast before Stiles got back on the highway to Houston.
“How does it feel to fill such a huge role at Holy Rock?”
“A little strange; a little scary but on the other hand I know that I’m doing exactly what God wants me to do at this point in my life. All things work together for good.”
“To those who love the Lord and are called,” Stiles immediately added.
“According to his purpose,” said Xavier.
All three men laughed lightly and exchanged friendly banter back and forth. They discussed sports along with finances and the latest in literature, being that reading books by controversial and African American authors was Xavier’s forte.
“I’m proud of you guys, and I’m sure that your father is as well.”
“I don’t know about that, but then again, I’m not living to please my father. Not my earthly father that is,” Khalil stated and put a forkful of pancakes in his mouth.
“Xavier, have you made a decision about attending Xavier in the fall. You know that’s right around the corner. It’ll be time for you to leave this city.”
“Yes, my calling is to remain here and help my brother and my mother in the ministry.” He wiped his mouth nervously with his napkin and then picked up his glass of soda and took a couple of deep swallows.
“So you’re not going to accept that full ride? You do have a full ride scholarship, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do, but it is what it is.”
“I see,” said Stiles hearing an uneasiness in Xavier’s voice and tone. “All I’m going to say on that is be sure you’re doing what you want to do, Xavier and not what you think others expect of you.”
“No one expects him to do anything other than what he feels is best for him,” Khalil said forcefully.
“My brother is right; this is my decision and mine alone. I’d rather not talk about it anymore.”
“Sure, no problem,” Stiles said.
They continued eating their breakfast and making small talk.
“I want you two to know that I’m here for you. I’m just a phone call away. If you need me, I’ll hit the road with no questions asked. You hear me?”
“Yes, sir,” Khalil responded respectfully.
“Being the senior pastor of a huge church like Holy Rock won’t be easy. You’re going to have a lot of opposition but you have to stand your ground. If God is calling you to do something then do it. Preach the Word, study the Word, and keep your head on straight. And being a young, handsome, smart and single man, like yourself,” Stiles emphasized ‘single’ “the women are going to be all over you, if they aren’t already. Just be careful, nephew. Real careful,” Stiles said, taking a sip of his coffee followed by a taste of his hashbrowns.
Khalil couldn’t be sure if Stiles knew about him and Detria or not, but he didn’t care one way or the other. Detria was a single woman, and yes, she had been married to Stiles, and had an affair with his father, but all of that was in the past. If he wanted to smash her, that was his business. Like Hezekiah, he had his purpose for what he did and who he did it with…and messing around with Detria was no different. He had his reasons and his purpose.
“Well, I better get ready to hit this highway,” Stiles said after he took a final bite of his meal.
“It was good talking to you, Pastor Stiles,” Xavier said.
“I’m your uncle. Call me Stiles or Uncle Stiles. I know your father doesn’t like the fact that we’re brothers, but I hope one day he will welcome me into the fold,” Stiles said and chuckled as he pulled out a ten-dollar bill and laid it on the table for the tip. ”Oh, and breakfast is on me.”
“My father has his reasons for everything he does,” Khalil said. “I’m sure this is no different, but on the other hand, I am my own man. I make decisions according to how things are played out before me, so I have nothing against you, Uncle Stiles,” Khalil said.
“I’m with Khalil. I have nothing against you.”
“Good, Stiles said, and wiped his mouth one final time with his napkin. He pushed back from the table and stood, followed by Xavier and Khalil. They shook hands and the three of them walked to the front of the restaurant. Stiles paid for the meal and the three men walked outside.
They shook hands again. “Have a safe trip,” Xavier said.
“Yeah, be safe,” Khalil said.
Stiles gave each one of them dap and walked away towards his car. He stopped and turned around for a brief second. “Hey,” he called out. “I meant what I said. If you need me for anything, hit me up.”
“Fa sho,” Khalil said.
“Yeah, fa sho,” Xavier said.
Khalil welcomed and introduced to others his new staff at Holy Rock’s weekly staff meeting. Sista Mavis sat at the other end of the long conference room table with her mouth poked out like she had a mouthful of tobacco tucked inside her bottom lip. She was still holding a grudge against Khalil who had told her a week ago today that he was replacing her as his administrative assistant. She couldn’t believe that he had reassigned her to act as one of the administrative assistants to the associate ministers. The same thing had happened to Sister Gloria Wooten when Stiles stepped down from Holy Rock. Pastor McCoy sent her packing in the exact same way when he became Senior Pastor. Now it was happening to her and she was more than upset, she was absolutely dumbfounded over his decision.
As the meeting continued and he introduced one person after another as newly appointed deacons and trustees, Sista Mavis watched as some of the older deacons displayed frowns that could have scared the worst of the worst away.
“We have a lot of changes going on at Holy Rock, but I want you to know that it is only to make things better for this church and for its members.”
Xavier sat on the opposite side of his brother, looking handsome in a pair of jeans, bright mango-orange button down shirt and matching bow tie. A young man at the other end of the table eyed the handsome McCoy boy in wonderment and pleasure.
“I want to take this time to also introduce another role, or should I say two roles, I have filled at Holy Rock. One is my prior position of Youth Director. As you know, First Lady McCoy has been graciously filling that role since I took over the position of senior pastor. As some of you may recall, my mother was quite active with the children and the youth when my father was associate pastor. But seeing that not only is my father ill, she has other obligations that she fulfills and she has expressed that returning to such a consuming role is not what she desires to do at this time. Therefore, I want to announce that my brother, Xavier McCoy, is assuming the role.”
Some of the members could be heard clearing their throats and a couple of others gave sideway glances at each other, but no one said anything out loud.
Xavier was touched that his brother believed in him enough to place him in such a high profile position, but he tried to explain to Khalil that he had no desire to work in the church to such an extent. He didn’t know where his life was headed now that he had the drug charge pending and his hopes to attend Xavier University had been dashed. By all means, he understood that he needed to do something productive with his life if he had to remain in Memphis, but he had not given much thought to playing such a pivotal role at Holy Rock. When Khalil approached him about what he wanted to do, Xavier bucked against it. What would people say about him being over the youth and young adults, especially those who were against homosexuality. The last thing he wanted to do was cause an uproar at Holy Rock. As it stood, the only thing going for him now was the fact that George was no longer a threat to him or to the future of Holy Rock, at least he hoped he wasn’t. The last he’d heard about George had been from his brother. Khalil told him that his sources reported that George was facing at least five to fifteen years behind bars for his crime of possessing child pornography and it had been recently alleged that good old George had been crossing state lines to have sex with minor boys.
“I also want to inform you that Xavier is also our new financial administrator. Brother Pickens has submitted his resignation. Brother Pickens nodded. “Where we will hate to see him and Sister Pickens leave Holy Rock and Memphis, we will keep them in our prayers as they enter retirement and relocate to the west coast.”
The room grew eerily quiet at the huge announcement. Sista Mavis swallowed so hard it looked like she had an Adam’s apple. She couldn’t wait to pass this news on to her sista friends. Who does this boy think he is coming in here stirring up all this mess? He is definitely his father’s son because Hezekiah McCoy did the same thing when he took over as senior pastor. Mavis wondered how many people would leave after hearing this latest news.
“Would you like to say something, brother? Or should I say Brother Xavier?”
Xavier cleared his throat. If he was uncomfortable or unsure of his new roles, it wasn’t revealed in his speech. “I just want to say that I am grateful to be part of Holy Rock and to serve as the Youth Director and Financial Administrator. I will work as if I am working for the Lord, and will do my best to make Holy Rock better in these areas. I am only as good as those around me so I will be calling on you. If any of you work well with youth and you want to be part of this growing ministry, please see me after this meeting.”
Malik, one of Holy Rock’s seven associate ministers, batted his eyes slowly and smiled again discreetly as he listened to Xavier. He was especially attentive, and seemed to cling to every word Xavier spoke.
“I hope that this is the beginning of a fresh start for Holy Rock,” Xavier continued, purposely avoiding eye contact with the handsome deacon. “Thanks to my brother, our senior pastor, Holy Rock is drawing in younger people by the droves and I am grateful to God for that,” Xavier said as he sat back down.
Khalil stood. “Thank you, Xavier. It’s all God. He’s working on our behalf.”
A knock on the door interrupted the meeting and in walked his mother and a young lady that made Khalil’s breath catch in his throat.
“Come in, Mother.”
“I’m sorry to be late, but I was waiting on your new administrative assistant to arrive.”
“Good morning, Pastor McCoy. Good morning, everyone,” the young woman said as she followed Fancy all the way into the conference room.
“Hello, gentleman….Sista Mavis,” Fancy spoke. She walked over to the empty seat two chairs down from Khalil’s end of the table and the young lady walked next to her and prepared to sit in the chair next to Fancy’s chair.
“This is Eliana Hodges,” she introduced.
“Welcome to Holy Rock, Mrs. Hodges,” Khalil immediately rose from his chair and walked over to shake her hand.
Khalil swallowed hard and simply stared. He had given his mother charge to find a suitable administrative assistant to replace Sista Mavis. From looks alone, his mother had definitely come through.
Sista Mavis was good at what she did when she did it, but Khalil admitted to his mother that he wanted someone younger, who had a more pleasant attitude, and who wasn’t a church gossip. There were too many confidential matters, especially surrounding his family that he couldn’t chance getting out. He didn’t have full proof that it was Sista Mavis leaking personal matters, but he had been warned many times that it was her, and he had overheard her talking to her friends on the phone on several occasions.
Eliana was beautiful. Petite as she was, she strolled in with exuberant confidence and her hips swayed from side to side like a mild wind blowing on a spring day. She appeared to be in her early twenties. She had shiny black hair with skin that matched dark eyes deeply set under prominent eyebrows. She wore her thick black hair in Medusa-styled locs and her sensually soft fragrance was alluring but not overpowering. Her smile further transformed her face and made it even more captivating.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hodges,” Khalil greeted her again as he extended his hand. “Mother,” he said once more and leaned forward and kissed his mother on her cheek. Fancy smelled just as sweet but not in the same way as Eliana.
“Please call me Eliana,” the young lady said.
Everyone else nodded and spoke to Eliana and Fancy while Sista Mavis barely mumbled.
Khalil returned to his chair. “Everyone, Eliana will be joining us for the next several weeks to see if she is a good fit to fill the position of my personal assistant. Eliana, tell us a little about yourself.”
“Here is my resume Will you pass that to him? she said to the gentleman on her left. The young man nodded, took the resume’ and passed it to Khalil while smiling with lust in Eliana’s direction.
“Impressive,” Khalil said as he reviewed it.
“As you will see on my resume’, she said looking directly at Khalil and then at the others gathered, “I have worked in the church for most of my life. I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management with a minor in human resources management. I am working on my master’s degree now. I love the Lord and I love working in the church ministry. My grandfather was a preacher in Alabama for many years. My parents raised me and my four siblings in the church and not just in the church, but they taught us about God and gave us the foundation on which to make our lives rich in faith and belief in Him.”
Many of those sitting at the table nodded their approval, all except Sista Mavis who sat quietly with her arms folded. She refused to admit that she too was impressed with this young girl’s words. She was not only pretty, she was articulate and smart.
“I know how important it is to maintain confidentiality,” she went on to explain without Khalil having to inquire about it. “I must admit that I have not worked for a church this size, but I am sure it is no different than the small church of which I have been affiliated with most of my life. All of us have problems, trials, and situations that arise in our lives and many times we run to the church, or should I say the pastor of the church,” she emphasized and flashed her eyes directly at Khalil. “It is imperative and necessary to uphold the privacy of that individual and or families when they come to the pastor for help.”
“I must say that I am quite impressed, Mrs. Hodges.”
“It’s Miss Hodges, she said, but again, you may call me Eliana if you so choose.”
Khalil nodded, clasped his hands together, and rested them on his elbows on the table. “Of course, Eliana. Everyone, please take a moment to introduce yourselves.”
The staff did as Khalil asked. When it got to Sista Mavis, she put on a forced smile and introduced herself.
“Sista Mavis will be doing most of your training over the next couple of weeks,” explained Fancy.
The meeting ended shortly after Eliana and Fancy’s entrance and Khalil instructed his mother and Eliana to join him in his office.
“I hope you enjoy being part of Holy Rock,” Khalil stated as they walked up the hall. Along the way, he pointed out her office area where Sista Mavis sat gathering her personal things to make room for Eliana to take her place. She slightly rolled her eyes as the girl passed. Fancy saw her and returned Sista Mavis’ stare with a penetrating gaze of her own that seemed to warn the woman not to cross her. Sista Mavis quickly shifted her eyes away and resumed gathering her things, stopping when the phone started ringing.
“Good morning, Holy Rock Ministries,” she said in the most polite voice she could muster.
Fancy smiled and continued her stride to Khalil’s office.
“I’m sure that I will love working here,” Eliana said. “As I stated in the meeting, I am going to school for my master’s, but it should not interfere with my duties and responsibilities.”
They arrived at his office and Khalil opened the door and stepped aside to allow his mother and Eliana to enter.
“That is something I wanted to discuss,” said Fancy. “You will be required to attend most services including Sunday services and weekly evening services which are held each Wednesday night. Hours can be long here and we serve a congregation of over 15,000 on the church roll.”
“Will that be a problem?” Khalil asked as he offered Eliana and his mother a seat before he walked around to his desk and sat down.
“No, I do my classes online, but I am required to actually attend classes one weekend every six weeks. I hope that won’t be a problem.”
“I think we can work around that,” Khalil stated quickly.
“As long as we know in advance,” Fancy immediately added.
“Oh, I can give you my schedule, and I have less than a year before I complete my studies.”
“Good for you.”
“Have you discussed salary and benefits with HR?”
“Yes, I have, and it is more than generous. Thank you,” Eliana said.
“Good. Do you have any questions for me?” he asked, looking boldly into her eyes that seemed to hypnotize him as she returned his look with a softness that made his young tender heart go pitter patter.
“When do I start?” she giggled lightly.
“How about first thing Monday morning?” Fancy said.
“That will be fine.”
“Do you have a church home?” Khalil asked.
“Yes, I do, but my church family understands the commitment that is required when working for a church.”
Fancy watched as Khalil became almost lost in this young girl who she had taken the pangs to choose carefully. She was set on making sure she chose someone who would be able to turn her son’s head and mind away from that treacherous Detria Graham. Eliana Hodges, Fancy believed, was the one she hoped would do it. So far, it looked like things were off to a good start.
“Well, if you’ll excuse me, Pastor Khalil, I’m going to my office to handle a few things before I go see your father. Eliana, why don’t you take some time to get to know the man you’ll be spending a lot of time with.” Fancy smiled, rose from her chair, and nodded as she walked to the door.
“Yes, I’d like that,” Eliana replied.
“So would I. I’m anxious to learn all about you…Eliana.” Khalil threw up his hand, displaying a gentle wave and smile. “We’ll talk later, Mother.”